Fires prompt Spain to place 30-year ban on forestry cultivationMADRID (AFP) Jan 29, 2005The Spanish government intends to ban the cultivation of swathes of fire-ravaged forest for 30 years in an attempt to keep future fires at bay, Environment Minister Cristina Carbona said Saturday.

The announcement comes after some 7,000 forest fires scorched 120,000 hectares of forestry in 2004.

According to experts, around 90 percent of forest fires in Spain are sparked by humans, whether intentional or otherwise.